Posted on 14 May, 2013
Photo: MSF medical staff examines patient in surgical ward in Hangu Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital. MSF supports the Hangu THQ Hospital by running emergency room and providing surgical care. Pakistan 2012 © Haroon Khan/MSF
Pakistan: More than 110 Treated for Blast Wounds Ahead of Elections
Pakistan is experiencing an increase in violence related to the general and provincial elections taking place on May 11, in the country’s first democratic transition of power. MSF staff treated patients for blast injuries at facilities in Hangu and Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
“The escalation in violence has caused massive devastation over a short period of time,” said Jean Guy Vataux, MSF country representative in Pakistan. “This is exacerbating an already very difficult situation for the Pakistani people who continue to bear the brunt of these violent acts on every level.”
Noncombatants have been the primary victims of the recent violence, which follows several months of armed conflict in Pakistan that mainly injured members of the security forces and armed militants, according to Pakistani media reports.
Countries Must Fix Critical Access to Medicines Flaws in Trans-Pacific Trade Pact
Negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)—a far-reaching trade agreement between 11 Pacific Rim countries—continue to be shrouded in secrecy, but leaked copies of the agreement reveal that the United States is demanding the most harmful package of intellectual property protections ever proposed for a trade agreement with developing countries.
These rules would make it extremely difficult for generic competitors to enter the market, keeping prices unaffordably high, with devastating public health consequences.
Follow us throughout the week as negotiations for the TPP restart in Lima, Peru, tomorrow.